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Albireo is arguably one of the most beautiful double star within reach of a small telescope. It is located halfway between the stars Vega and Altair, along the region of the sky where the Milky Way stretches towards north. The main attraction of this system is the color contrast: the primary is a giant orange spectral type K star, while the secondary is a hot blue spectral type B star. The pair is relatively easy to split even with small telescopes and is best viewed with a little bit of sky glow (e.g., during full moon) to help the eyes appreciate the colors. Image taken with a Sky-Watcher 100 ED 4 in f/9 refractor, Kenko NES mount, Canon 450D DSLR, 15 sec exp, IS0 1600. April 7, 2012, Camarines Norte, Philippines. Photo Credit: Anthony Urbano

Mizar, one of the stars in the Big Dipper forms a visual double, a chance alignment with the star Alcor, but a careful inspection with a 2-3 inch telescope reveals that Mizar itself is a true double star: Mizar A and Mizar B. Sky-Watcher 4-in f/9 refractor, Kenko NES mount, Canon 450D DSLR,3 sec exp, IS0 1600. April 15, 2012. UP Diliman. Photo Credit: Anthony Urbano

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